Construction on a 50-unit apartment building on NE Fremont Street between 44th and 45th avenues could start as soon as April and take 10 months to complete.
Vic Remmers, a principal of VWR Development, says he hopes to start building the Beaumont Village Apartments 30 to 45 days after the city of Portland issues building permits. The project architect, Don Sowieja, said the developer had submitted its final responses to the city in early February. Based on past experience, he said he thought the city would issue permits about the end of February or early March.
But opponents of the project were holding out hope that they could stop it or still force the plans to change so that the project fits better with the neighborhood.
“I still think this building can be modified,” said Margaret Davis, one of the leaders of Beaumont-Wilshire Neighbors for Responsible Growth.
The group had raised nearly $2,000 for a potential legal fight. They retained Ty Wyman, a lawyer who is also representing neighbors in the Richmond and Kerns neighborhoods in cases before the Oregon Land Use Board of Appeals that challenge similar apartment projects without off-street parking. The board was expected to issue decisions in those two cases in late February or early March.
But Sowieja said the issues in those two cases were unique and shouldn’t affect the Fremont project. He promised that the developer would be sensitive to neighborhood concerns as the building goes up. “It will go on as smoothly as construction can,” Sowieja said.
But the construction company hired to build the project, LMC Construction, didn’t get off on the best foot with neighbors. Clyde Zahn, project manager for LMC Construction, said in early February that he had written a letter to neighbors and would distribute it before demolition started. However, neighbors, including Barrett Automotive next door, said they never received a letter or had other contact before demolition began February 11. Chris Duffin, LMC president, said he thought letters were sent to nearly 15 property owners and couldn’t explain the discrepancy.
LMC Construction of Beaverton hasn’t done similar projects in Portland, Zahn said. The company website features multifamily projects in Tigard, Milwaukie and Woodburn.
The process of getting building permits from the city had not resulted in significant changes to the building, Sowieja said. The developer has no interest in reducing the height to three stories or adding off-street parking.
Remmers said he has had interest from several potential tenants of the ground-floor retail space, but has not signed any leases. The space will be designed so that it can accommodate a restaurant, he said.
Remmers said he expects the residential units to rent for at least $2 per square foot, or more than $1,000 a month for a 500-square-foot apartment. Although there have been recent news reports about the rental market softening, that won’t affect this project.
“The opportunity continues and the need for housing in these neighborhoods continues,” Sowieja said.
Remmers again asked neighbors to keep their minds open.
“I understand their concerns,” he said. “I think this project is going to turn out to be a nice asset for the neighborhood when it’s done.”